Govt plans to boost cotton output

The Ministry of Textiles and Jute has planned to increase cotton production to reduce country's dependency on import of the vital textile item that costs a significant amount of foreign currency every year, officials said. The cotton prices have increased almost three times higher in the international market in recent years, according to concerned ministry. To this effect, the ministry will soon sit with the representatives of Bangladesh Textiles Mills Association (BTMA) to motivate them to invest money in cotton farming. Earlier the ministry of textiles on April 3 last at a meeting with the Cotton Development Board (CDB), Bangladesh and Bangladesh Jute Research Institute (BJRI) underlined the need to produce more cotton through various measures. At present the annual production of cotton in the country is about 80,000 bales against the total demand of 4.2 million bales. Every year the country imports cotton worth taka 6 billion, ministry sources said. "We will sit with the spinners soon to discuss the advantages of cotton farming in areas under tobacco cultivation where cotton can easily be produced with high output. We pursue them (spinners) to invest in the cotton farming sector through giving financial supports to farmers to produce cotton instead of tobacco," Textiles and Jute Secretary Md Ashraful Moqbul told the FE Sunday. He said the tobacco farming in Jessore, Rajshahi, Rangpur and other three hill districts can easily be turned into a potential cotton farming hub as the soil and environment of those areas are highly favourable for cotton production. The programmes, the ministry has taken so far, to increase cotton production by using hybrid seeds in areas along rivers and char lands side by side with the existing sites. There are about 0.25 million hectares of land that are fit for cotton production. And out of this, about 0.20 million hectares of land can produce about 1.6 million bales of cotton yearly. But only 33,500 acres of land are now under cotton cultivation. The country can meet its 20-30 per cent of total demand of cotton by 2021 if it uses hybrid types of cotton seeds and modern technology, according to the ministry. "We are yet to get a call from the government. If want to discuss with the government about cotton farming in tobacco producing areas," Secretary of BTMA Monsoor Ahmed told the FE. The government established CDB in 1972 to make the country self-reliant in cotton. The organisation has now 179 units, 9 zonal and 4 regional offices working on research, development of cotton seeds and expansion of cotton farming and production in the country. According to CDB, the country's cotton production was 70,000 bales in FY 2009-10, 50,175 bales in FY 2008-09, 42,380 bales in FY 2007-08, 70,530 bales in FY 2006-07, 77,000 bales in FY 2005-06, 73,190 bales in FY2004-05, 82,140 bales in FY 2003-04 and 78,700 bales in FY 2002-003.